


Beneath the Pretty Twining Light

by JackEPeace



Category: Barely Lethal (2015)
Genre: F/F, Gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-29 18:39:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13932948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JackEPeace/pseuds/JackEPeace
Summary: At least, Liz is pretty sure this is a date. It had seemed a lot like a date that morning, when Megan had brought it up, how she had said “I thought we could go together” like there was no one else in the world.





	Beneath the Pretty Twining Light

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Geeky_MikaBoo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geeky_MikaBoo/gifts).



> I hate this movie and I hate this pairing and I hate myself most of all. 
> 
> Title from "Shiny" by The Decemberists and yes I know I already have a fic out there in the world titled after this same line but it's what I always think of when I think of fairs okay.

Liz is pretty sure that her mother is driving her to her first date and she’s not sure that she’ll ever be able to recover from the embarrassment.

Though, she thinks that even worse than her mom driving her to the date is the fact that her mom _and_ her little brother are going to be tagging along for aforementioned date so…Liz is ready to just disappear all together.

At least, Liz is pretty _sure_ this is a date. It had seemed a lot like a date that morning, when Megan had brought up the state fair and suggested they go together. Well, it hadn’t been so much the words as how Megan had said them, how she had seemed hesitate and stammer, how her eyes had looked hopeful when she’d finally dragged them up from staring at the floor to look at Liz instead. How she had said “I thought we could go together” like there was no one else in the world.

But there _had_ been other people in the world. Other people in the kitchen, in fact. Other people like Parker, who had heard the word ‘fair’ and decided that he needed to ride the Ferris wheel immediately. And somehow that had ended up with Penny deciding that they should all go, that a Friday night at the fair was exactly what they needed after the recent craziness of having almost been killed by murderous assassins from Megan’s alma mater.

Liz wants to knock her forehead against the car window and just pray for this whole night to end. She can feel Megan sitting in the backseat beside her but can’t bring herself to actually look over at her, hasn’t been able to look at her pretty much since Penny announced the family outing. Liz had spent all day at school fighting down the nervous butterflies in her stomach, trying to figure out if she was a major idiot for thinking about what she might wear that night or if that was a normal pre-date thing to do. And then, bam. Ruined. Liz figures she shouldn’t be surprised, considering the way her life has been going for the past few years.

Parker seems to still be excited by the prospect of the fair, bouncing around happily while Penny buys them all tickets for the rides. Liz finally looks over at Megan, who is taking in the crowds of people, the variety of flashing lights, the rides, the booths, the sights of the fair. “Sorry,” she mumbles. “I had no idea my mom and Parker would want to tag along.”

Megan shrugs, smiling at her. “That’s okay,” she says. “I’ve never been to a fair before.”

And that’s when Liz feels the familiar cold fingers of doubt snaking down her spine and wonders if this was really a date in the first place. Maybe this was Megan just being Megan. Maybe this was all just Megan wanting to be a normal teenager, wanting to get out and experience everything that the ‘regular’ world has to offer.

Maybe Liz spent all of her math class thinking about what to wear tonight because she’s an idiot.

Liz swallows, turning away from Megan once more. She digs the nose of her sneaker into the dirt, trying to ignore the tightness in her chest. “They’re not that great,” she grumbles. “Everything is so crowded, and the food is gross.”

Parker looks at her. “Didn’t you eat like ten deep fried Oreos last time we came with Dad?”

Liz glares at him, wishing he was close enough to grab and throttle. “I did _not_ ,” she hisses, quickly looking over at Megan. “I didn’t do that.”

Parker gives Megan a conspiratorial look. “Yes she did,” he whispers.

Megan smiles at her and Liz only feels marginally better about the whole situation.

“Okay,” Penny interrupts, walking away from the ticket booth. “Once you’re out of tickets, you’re out of tickets unless you’re smuggling some money in your pockets.” She gives a pointed look to Parker. “I’m talking to you,” she says. “Don’t waste them.”

Parker rolls his eyes. “Mom, you’re supposed to use them,” he says, exasperated. “That’s the point.”

“You aren’t supposed to use them all at once,” Penny counters. “And ride the tilt-a-whirl ten times in a row.”

“And then throw up funnel cake everywhere,” Liz adds dryly.

Megan’s grin only grows wider. “This is going to be awesome.”

 

* * *

 

Liz can’t help but think that all of this would be even more awesome if she was here with Megan, alone. And if she knew for sure if when Megan had invited her that morning if she had meant it as friends or as something more.

It’s definitely impossible to tell with Penny and Parker for company because if the glittering draw of the fair and all its rides wasn’t enough to contend with, Liz knows that she would never, in a million years, be brave enough to reach for Megan’s hand as they follow behind her family. And so she just drags her feet, hands stuck in the pockets of her hoodie, hunching her shoulders against the late fall chill in the air.

If it were just her and Megan, Liz thinks that she might find the excuse to walk a little closer, that she might cozy up next to her on one of the rides, blaming the chill in the air and the butterflies in her stomach for tucking herself into Megan’s side. And maybe she would inch a little closer and…

And Liz thinks _this_ is her whole problem. She let herself get too carried away in the first place and now she’s wearing mascara and eyeliner to a stupid fair and listening to her brother explain to Megan what deep fried Twinkies are.

Megan’s excitement is more than enough to balance out Liz’s own sulkiness and she has to admit that it’s pretty adorable watching Megan to discover all that the temporary state fair has to offer. Liz lets Megan drag her into the same bumper car, even though they barely fit together, and it quickly becomes obvious that none of the other drivers stand a chance when it comes to catching Megan. “Okay, I think I’m going to have whiplash tomorrow,” Liz says as she climbs out of the car. “You didn’t have to be that aggressive, Vin Diesel.”

“I thought that was the point?” Megan says. “I mean, it is called bumper cars.” Liz only shakes her head. “You can drive next time.”

Liz lifts an eyebrow. “Oh, there’s going to be a next time? Don’t you want to save your precious tickets?” She rolls her eyes.

Megan shrugs. “Parker said the bumper cars were you favorite,” she says, tilting her head back toward the line. “I thought you might want to ride them again.”

For a second, that feeling from the morning is back. The feeling that convinced Liz that Megan was asking her on a date, that convinced her that she should care about things like what to wear and how to do her hair and how to be cool and confident and not act like an idiot in front of the person who has already seen her first thing in the morning in her polar bear pajamas and unbrushed hair.   

For a second, Liz looks into Megan’s eyes and thinks that maybe she was right.

For a second, she thinks that she’s on a date after all.

But something in the back of her mind stops her from smiling, from reaching for Megan’s hand, stops her from giving into the excitement that seems to have steered her in the wrong direction already. So she just shrugs. “Maybe later.”

It seems like the safest course of action, especially considering that they rejoin Penny and Parker and Megan seems to forget all about her.

Parker and Megan ride the tilt-a-whirl together and the pirate ship, rides that Liz refuses to have any part in. There’s a reason the bumper cars are her favorite.

They ride the Ferris wheel with Parker sandwiched between them, excitedly pointing out all the things glittering vibrantly below them, rocking the cart with every movement. Liz swallows, gritting her teeth, her hands tightening around the flimsy bar keeping them from tumbling down to the ground below and it hardly seems safe enough with the way that the cart is rocking and groaning every time Parker moves even a centimeter.

“Lizzy, look!” Parker says, leaning against the bar to point to something. “I think that’s our house!”

Liz grabs the back of his jacket, pulling him back. “No it’s not, idiot,” she snaps. “Don’t do that. You’re going to fall.”

Parker rolls his eyes. “No I’m not.” He leans against the bar again and the cart groans, the bar wiggling. “Do you think Mom can see us?”

Liz doesn’t bother to look down. Instead, she keeps her eyes focused straight ahead, her knuckles white. She almost jumps at the feeling of Megan’s hand settling on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“Yup,” Liz says quickly, as the cart bumps as the Ferris wheel brings them closer to the top. “Yup. Great.”

Parker wiggles impatiently, bouncing in his seat in an attempt to see more of the fair below them. Liz grits her teeth. “Parker-”

“Hey, Parker,” Megan interrupts, nudging him with her elbow. “Want to work on your Prescott training?”

Parker looks at her skeptically. “Now?”

“A real spy is always in training,” Megan points out seriously and Parker’s expression grows somber. “And a real spy sometimes has to spend hours in the same position, so no one notices them. Frozen…absolutely still…”

For a second, both Parker and Liz wear matching dubious expressions on their faces. Liz is about to open her mouth to assure Megan that Parker will never fall for her obvious trick, but then Parker goes statue-still and actually remains that way until they’re back on solid ground once more. Parker’s stillness makes it a little easier for Liz to relax her death grip on the bar, but she’s not exactly complaining when the attendant lifts the bar and lets them out of the cart.

“Told you I could do it,” Parker says, waving his arm dismissively once they’re off the ride. “I was a ninja before I became a spy.”

Megan grins, ruffling Parker’s hair. “Great job Parker.” When he goes running off toward Penny, Megan turns her attention toward Liz. “Are you sure you’re okay? If you were afraid you didn’t have to go.”

“I’m not afraid,” Liz says quickly but when Megan raises her eyebrows, she exhales. “Okay…maybe a little bit…” She grimaces. “Heights.”

“You should have said something,” Megan says again. “I could have taken Parker myself.”

Liz exhales again, puffing out her cheeks. “I…I wanted to go,” she mumbles, looking at her feet. “I kinda thought maybe the whole point of this was for…you know…you and I to be here together and…that’s probably stupid but-”

“It’s not stupid,” Megan assures her and the sincerity in her tone makes it easier for Liz to look up from her feet. “I wanted it to be just us. But I wasn’t sure you wanted that and then your mom and Parker got all excited and-”

Liz rolls her eyes. “And they kinda ruined it.”

It. Their date. She thinks.

Megan smiles. “They didn’t ruin it,” she assures Liz. “We’re still here, right?”

And then she reaches for her hand and Liz thinks that yeah, this probably _is_ a date and the butterflies are back, knocking against the insides of her stomach with annoying persistence.

“Yeah,” Liz says, “I guess we are.”

Megan keeps ahold of her hand, even when they rejoin Penny and Parker and if either of them notice, they don’t say anything. Not that they really have an opportunity to anyway, not with Parker rambling on and on about the sights from the Ferris wheel and how he definitely saw their house even though Liz says that he didn’t. Liz doesn’t even bother to correct him, because she’s too busy chewing on the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning too broadly and calling too much attention to herself.

Parker wants to use the rest of his tickets on the games and, predictably, Megan kills at all of them. Liz honestly has no idea why she ever would have thought anything different. Even the attendants seem surprised, as though they can’t figure out how this teenager has managed to beat all their tricks and win every game put in front of her.

Megan wins a stuffed dog for Parker and an even larger stuffed elephant for Liz, one that -regrettably- requires her to let go of Megan’s hand so that she can manage to carry it. “You’re an idiot,” she tells Megan with a roll of her eyes. “What am I going to do with this?”

“I’ve totally seen this in the movies,” Megan assures her with conviction. “It’s part of the whole date thing.”

Liz is certain that her eye roll loses intensity because she’s trying hard not to smile again.

Because, you know, a date.

Her first real one.

Suddenly even the presence of her mother and brother can’t quite ruin it.  


End file.
